title: Serum interleukin-6 expression level and its clinical significance in patients with dermatomyositis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression level and its clinical significance in patients with dermatomyositis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples from 23 adult patients with dermatomyositis (DM), 22 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 22 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 16 with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and 20 healthy controls were collected. The IL-6 concentration was detected by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Correlations between IL-6 expression levels and clinical features or laboratory findings in patients with DM were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IL-6 expression level of DM patients was significantly higher than that of normal controls, significantly lower than that of RA patients, and slightly lower than that of SLE or SS patients with no significant differences. The incidence of fever was significantly higher in the IL-6 elevated group. Serum ferritin (SF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were positively correlated with IL-6.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IL-6 plays a less important role in DM than in RA. IL-6 monoclonal antibodies may have poor effect in patients with DM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiaomin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cen
authors.forename: Qibing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Guixiu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Geng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6